Overjam Reggae Festival
The venue and its history
Sotočje, with its mountainous backdrop, has since the turn of the millennium fast become the number one location for Slovene summer festivals. This makes sense, as Sotočje is set in an alpine region with a somewhat Mediterranean climate, having the gorgeous and swimming-friendly Soča River at its disposal. It can equally adequately accommodate both boutique festivals for 200 and massive events for 12,000 visitors, with the organisers also profiting from the relative proximity of Italian and Austrian audiences.
Alongside the pioneering and still active Sajeta Creative Camp, Soča Reggae Riversplash did the most to popularise the venue, where now the massively popular MetalDays (held since 2004), the yet-young Punk Rock Holiday (held since 2012) and some more sporadic events now take place each summer. Before it saw its last edition in 2009, Riversplash had brought many renowned artists such as Macka B, Gentleman, and Michael Rose of Black Uhuru to Slovenia.
Overjam musical and other programme
Filling a two-year vacuum in the Slovenian reggae scene, Overjam was first held in the village of Vrtojba, near the Italian border. The temporary location was chosen because of the festival's Italian co-organisers. In 2013, the festival (re-)emerged in Sotočje and since then its line-up has hosted Zion Train, Dub Inc, Macka B, Groundation, Barrington Levy, Channel One soundsystem, Anthony B, Skarra Mucci, Hollie Cook, Ricky Trooper, Luciano, Max Romeo, Fatman Hifi,...
One can also attend lectures at the so-called Overjam University, join the workshops on drumming, yoga, juggling, slacklining, clay making and similar, or just come a bit earlier and chill at the pre-party event. Kids are even welcome at the festival and can spend some quality time at Overjam 4 Kidz. Last but not least, there is the river to swim in and the surrounding Soča Valley boasting a plethora of other outdoor and cultural activities.